No Result
View All Result
Eye of the Flyer
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result

Here’s Why Some Flights From and To Hawaii Might Change Their Routing This Week

Charlie Mortling by Charlie Mortling
June 5, 2024
in News
0
A lot of passenger airplanes on the air, busy air traffic, traveling high season starts concept. White planes against blue sky. Photo manipulation.

(©iStock.com/Helin Loik-Tomson)

Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.

Some flights to and from Hawaii are forced to take somewhat unconventional routes this week. Here’s why.

“Special Use Airspace”

The airspace over the United States and outer waters isn’t open for all to fly through. Instead, certain portions of it are closed to civilian and commercial aircraft. For example, airlines can’t fly over Area 51 in the Nevada desert or around military missile testing zones in White Sands, New Mexico.

This airspace is designated as Special Use Airspace (SUA) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). I wrote an entire article about what Special Use Airspace is on my blog. But in short, these reserved pieces of airspace can be used for special military purposes both on the ground and in the air where it is deemed too dangerous to fly through. Not all SUA is for missiles and fighter jets, though. For example, they can also be used to protect the airspace around the President of the United States or even Walt Disney World (yes, even The Mouse has protected airspace!).

a map of the united states

Except for some static Special Use Airspace, most of it is activated and deactivated by a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM). This means commercial flights can fly through the airspace when it’s not in use. Sometimes, this can be the most economical way to fly to your destination.

But one example of Special Use Airspace One we see popping up rather often is rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

A SpaceX rocket launch over Southern California on March 18, 2024.
A SpaceX rocket launch over Southern California on March 18, 2024.(© Christopher Carley)

Not only is the airspace around the Space Force Base protected, but during rocket launches, a splashdown zone is also protected for when certain components (such as the rocket boosters return) to Earth. When this happens, the airspace just west of Los Angeles is protected and can cause some major hiccups for commercial flights flying to and from Hawaii.

But this week presents a couple of interesting events.

Early yesterday morning, Vandenberg launched an unarmed Minuteman III missile to show off military readiness. Another takes place late tonight/early tomorrow morning. (The launch dates and windows are announced in advance. Unlike rocket launches, the exact times aren’t disclosed. “The launches were scheduled well in advance and have nothing to do with world events,” the military said.)  These missiles are shot up and some boosters come splashing down just off the coast of Los Angeles. When this happens, it may be dangerous for commercial flights to be flying in the splash-down area. Below, the box outlined in magenta is the approximate splashdown zone

a map of a ship

The FAA will issue a NOTAM to pilots to avoid this area, and this will force all the flights flying from LAX to Hawaii to fly up to San Francisco before being allowed to cross the water.

Because of the numerous military bases in Southern California, most of the airspace off the coast is protected from commercial flights due to constant military training, so it’s not even possible to take a shortcut.

Let’s take a look at one such flight that had to deviate around this protected airspace during a recent launch. Hawaiian Airlines flight 3, from LAX to Honolulu, had to fly up the coast of California. Near San Francisco, it took a westbound turn to cross the water. This elongated route was due to all the surrounding military-only airspace.

a map of a plane

When space launches happen, dozens of flights are inconvenienced into flying this long detour that adds about 20 to 30 minutes of flight time — and thousands of pounds of extra fuel being carried.

Things like this happen all the time. While sometimes the most direct route might look possible, there might be Special Use Airspace in the way. This just happens to be the most extreme example of a reroute for commercial flights due to the large amount of space blocked off for use by the military.

Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.

Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

Previous Post

NEW Nomad Lane Bento Bag Review

Next Post

2024 Refurbished Carnival Glory Aft Wraparound Balcony Cabin 7445 Review

Charlie Mortling

Charlie Mortling

With a decade in the aviation industry and the FAA. Charlie's background includes expertise in safety regulations, operations, and customer service.

Next Post
a cruise ship docked in a harbor

2024 Refurbished Carnival Glory Aft Wraparound Balcony Cabin 7445 Review

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

➤ Search Eye of the Flyer

No Result
View All Result

Subscribe

Subscribe To Our NewsletterJoin our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

GREAT Travel and Cash Back Card Offers for Spring 2025!

Eye of the Flyer may receive a commission from the links below. See our Privacy Policy

See some of the biggest and best offers now!
Capital One Venture X Business: Earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $30,000 on eligible purchases within three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Then, earn an additional 200,000 miles after you spend a total of $200,000 within the first six (6) months. That's a total of 350,000 miles. Learn here how to apply.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card: Earn up to 150,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points. First, earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on the card within six (6) months of being approved for card membership. Earn additional 50,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 in eligible purchases on the card within six (6) months of being approved for card membership. Long story short: Earn 150,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on eligible purchases within the first six months of being approved. (Terms Apply.). Read more and learn here how to apply.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases within three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Learn more here.

 

American Express® Business Gold Card

American Express® Business Gold Card: Earn 100,000 bonus Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Plus, enjoy a 0% introductory APR for the first six (6) months from the date of account opening on purchases eligible for Pay Over Time, then a 18.49% to 27.49% variable APR. (See Rates & Fees) Terms apply.. Learn more here.

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express

The Business Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 150,000 bonus American Express® Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases on the card within the first three (3) months of being approved for card membership. Plus, earn a $500 statement credit after you spend $2,500 on qualifying flights booked directly with airlines or through American Express Travel with your Business Platinum Card within the first 3 months of Card Membership. You can earn one or both of these offers. This offer expires on June 30, 2025. Terms apply.. Plus, enjoy select airport lounge access, statement credit opportunities galore, and more! Read here why we love this card.

Eye of the Flyer partner offer!CardMatch™CardMatch™
Offers may not be available to all users.

Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Eye of the Flyer with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.

Subscribe

Subscribe To Our NewsletterJoin our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Resources

  • ✍ Editors Disclaimer
  • 💰 Advertiser Disclosure
  • 🔒 Privacy Policy
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉

Copyright © 2025 Eye of the Flyer. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉

Copyright © 2025 Eye of the Flyer. All Rights Reserved.

Cleantalk Pixel
No Result
View All Result
  • BANK & Travel Cards ★
    • Credit Cards
    • CardMatch™
    • Eye of the Flyer Recommended Cards
    • Best Welcome Offers
    • Travel Rewards Cards
    • Airline Credit Cards
    • Hotel Credit Cards
    • Cash Back Credit Cards
    • No Annual Fee Credit Cards
    • Small Business Credit Cards
    • Gas Rewards Cards
    • Balance Transfer Cards
    • Student Credit Cards
    • Visa Credit Cards
    • Mastercards
    • Bad or Poor Credit
    • No Credit or Limited Credit
    • Secured Cards
  • CardMatch™
  • Cruises
  • Rookie
  • Elite Mileage Runs
  • Merchandise
  • αbout US ✉

Copyright © 2025 Eye of the Flyer. All Rights Reserved.